Portable folding chair.



Patentgd Aug. 26, I902.

. .1. HARRISON. PORTABLE FOLDING CHAIR.

(Application filed Dec. 28, 1901.;

(No Model.)

THE wank FETERS co momuruoq WASUINUTGN, a. c

lliinn STATES ATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN J. HARRISON, OF WHITEPLAINS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO ANNA MAYHARRISON, OF "WHITEPLAINS, NEW YORK.

PORTABLE FOLDING CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 707,841, dated August26, 1902.

Application filed December 28, 1901. $erial No. 87,522. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN J HARRISON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Whiteplains, in the county of Westchester and State of NewYork, have invented an Improvement in Portable Folding Chairs, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to that form of folding or portable chairs in whichthere are pairs of X-legs, a flexible seat, and a back pivoted to theX-legs and adapted to swing, a part of the back coming against theX-legs as the seat is occupied and put under strain. These portableseats or chairs have heretofore been used largely at public gatheringsand funerals, and they may be folded and superimposed into close andcompact form for transportation. Heretofore the part of the back towhich one end of the flexible seat has been secured was the partdirectly pivoted to the )(-legs and a part formed as an extension of theback was the part coming in contact with the X-legs when the seat wasoccupied and strain applied. Thereforethe same pivot carried the strainand the weight and the object of my presentinvention is to so alter theconstruction and modify the form of seat that these factors are dividedand the seat so made stronger and more durable.

In carrying out my present invention the back-frame is pivoted to thelonger members of the pairs of X-legs by means of plates secured to theside bars of the back-frame above the lower ends of the barsandpivot-bolts securing the same to the members of the X-legs, and theflexible seat is at one end secured to a bar extending across betweenthe lower ends of the side bars below the plates and pivotal connectionto the back to the X-legs, and this cross-bar is of peculiarconstruction and is so made that the fabric of the flexible seat ispositively gripped and held between solid opposing-surfaces for itsentire length and forward of any points of incision in the fabric. Thiscross-bar is preferably circular in cross-section, with one side orsurface removed to form a flattened portion and the ends notched toprovide faces in axial planes against which the notched lower ends ofthe side bars of the back-frame come in contact and to which they aresecured, and I provide a strip of wood overlying the flexible seatbetween the side bars of the back-frame and secured to the cross bar byscrews. passing down through the flexible seat into the crossbar, thesaid strip of wood securing the flexible seat to the cross-bar betweenthe side bars of the back-frame and the edges of the flexible seatbeyond the strip of Wood being secured between the lower ends of theside bars and the ends of the cross-bar.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section representing myimprovement. Fig. 2 is a rear view, and Fig. 3 a plan of the same. Fig.4 is a side elevation of the portable chair or seat folded. Fig. 5 is aside elevation at the pivotal connection of the pairs of X-legs to theback-frame'and the connection of the flexible seat to the back-frame,and Fig. 6 is a plan of the cross-bar alone. Figs. 5 and (5 are shown oflarger size for clearness.

a I) represent the right-hand pair of pivoted folding X-legs, and 2 thepivot-bolt connecting the same.

0 cl represent the left-hand pairof pivoted folding legs. and 3 thepivotbolt connecting the same. The legs a cl are longer than the legs I)c. The legs I) c are connected adjacent to one end by a rung 4 and atthe other end by a top rung 5, to which latter rung one end of theflexible seat fabric 6 is secured by nails in the usual manner.

f f represent the side bars of the. backframe, and g g cross-bars ofcurved form connecting the said side bars, the bar 9 being at the upperend and the bar g about intermediate in the length of the side bars. Thelower ends of the side bars upon the forward faces are provided withnotches at an inclination, which inclination is substantially an acuteangle to the face. Plates 6 of substantially triangular form are securedto the side bars adjacent to their lower ends and upon their oppositefaces or sides, and pivot-bolts 7 pass through these plates and throughthe upper ends of the legs a d, pivotally connecing the back-frame tothe pairs of pivoted folding X-legs.

The flexible seat fabric e should occupy a substantially horizontalposition when the chair is opened out for use, and one end of the saidflexible seat should be secured to a part connected with the back-frame,and the pivot-bolts 7 come appreciably above the horizontal plane of thesaid seat 6.

I employ a cross-bar h, preferably of circular form in cross-section.One side or surface of this bar is removed to provide alongitudinally-flattened portion, and the ends of this bar are notchedto provide faces in the axial plane of the bar. This cross-bar is aslong as the over-all measurement to the outside of the legs a d, and thenotches are made of a length agreeing with the measurement widthwise ofboth legs of the pairs, the backframe being of a width across agreeingwith the width of the frame formed bythe legsb c and the rungs 4 and 5.Figs. 5 and 6 show clearly the construction of this cross-bar, and thesame is secured to the side bars f f at their lower notched ends bybolts 8. A strip of wood t' extends between the side bars ff, overlyingthe flattened portion of the crossbar It. The end of the flexible seatpasses between the cross-bar 7t and the strip of wood 71, and screws 9pass down through the strip 2' through the flexible seat e into thecross bar it in connecting the cross-bar and the strip of wood andsecuring part of the seat in place. The side portions of the flexibleseat at this end pass between the flattened portion of the cross-bar andnotched end of the crossbar and the notches at the lower ends of theside bars f f, the said flexible seat being cut so as to be bent downinto the space between the axial faces at the ends of the cross-bar andthe inclined faces at the ends of the side bars or, in other words, intoand only as far as the corner of the angle of the notches at the ends ofthe side-bars ff, so that there is a continuous and substantiallyunbroken line of the seat fabric held and firmly gripped between thestrip of wood 01 and the lower ends of the side bars ff and so much ofthe entire length of the cross-bar h as agrees with the width of theflexible seat. This crossbar It is secured in this way to the lower endsof the back-frame side bars forward of the direct line of said side barssufficiently for the forward curved surface of said cross-bar to bearagainst the under surface of the legs a d, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and5, so that when the chair is opened and occupied said cross-bar and legsreceive the weight and strain at a point below the point where theback-frame is pivoted to the upper ends of the legs ct d.

This form of chair is very much stronger, more rigid, and satisfactorythan the form manufactured heretofore by me. It is easily constructedand is eminently satisfactory in use.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with the pairs of pivotedfolding X-legs, of a backframe, a flexible seat secured at one end tothe inner frame of the pairs of X-legs, a cross-bar connected to thelower ends of the back-frame and to which the other end of the flexibleseat is secured, the flexible seat being longitudinally of full widthand agreeing in width with its supports, and devices for pivotallyconnecting the said back-frame to and between the inner surfaces of theouter pair of pivoted X- legs at a point forward of the back-frame andabove the point of attachment to the crossbar of the flexible seat,substantially as set forth.

2. In a portable folding chair, the combination with the pairs offolding X-legs, the back-frame and the flexible seat, of plates securedto the outer faces of the side bars of the back-frame and projectingforward of the edge face of the side bars, and pivot-bolts connectingsaid plates to the upper end of the longer members of the X-legs,whereby the flexible seat in width agrees with the width of theback-frame and leg-frame and the back-frame is adapted to fold over uponthe flexible seat and leg-frame, substantially as set forth.

3. In a portable folding chair, the combination with the pairs offolding X-legs and the back-frame pivoted thereto, of a crossbar longerthan the width of the back-frame, a part adapted to be connected theretoand means for securing the cross-bar to the lower ends of the back-frameside bars below and beyond the points of pivotal connection of the saidback-frame to the folding X-legs, and a flexible seat secured at one endto the inner frame of the pairs of Xlegs and at the other end and in itsfull width to the said cross-bar of the back-frame between the same andthe parts adapted to be connected thereto, substantially as set forth.

4. In a portable folding chair, the combination with the pairs ofpivoted folding X- legs, the back-frame pivoted thereto and the flexibleseat, of a cross-bar having a longitudinally-flattened surface, endnotches providing faces in the axial plane of the bar, a strip of woodand means for securing the same to the cross-bar with one end of theflexible seat intervening, said end of the flexible seat alsointervening between the notched ends and the lower ends of theback-frame side bars, substantially as set forth.

5. In a portable folding chair, the combination with the pairs ofpivoted folding X- legs and the flexible seat connected at one endthereto, of the back-frame side bars having notches at their lower endsat inclinations which are substantially acute angles to the edge faces,pivotal connections for the side bars to the longer members of the pairsof X-legs adjacent to said notched ends but appreciably distanttherefrom,'a cross-bar of circular form in cross-section with alongitudinally-flattened portion and ends notched to provide faces inaxial planes, a strip of wood and screws for securing part of one end ofthe flexible seat to the said cross-bar between the side bars of theback-frame, the

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said flexible seat being notched at the corand adjacent thereto over anunbroken porners of the angular notches at the ends of the tion,substantially as set forth. :0

side bars and the sides of the flexible seat at Signed by me this 26thday of December, t the same end being between the notched 1901. -5 endsof the side bar and the notched ends of B. J. HARRISON.

the cross-bar, whereby this end of the flexi- Witnesses:

ble seat is securely held over its entire length GEO. T. PINOKNEY',

both at the end where the same is notched BERTHA M. ALLEN.

